Hi, Mary Jane

>Laura Hart mentioned that all NB's get tested for glucose level in her
facility.

*snippage*

>Is this a common occurence in hospitals throughout the US?

Well, at the hospital I worked at in Seattle, they had a "5/9 9/5" protocol,
meaning that any baby weighing LESS than 5#9 or weighing MORE than 9#5 was
automatically put on the hypoglycemia protocol, which included heel pricks
and supplementing with GLUCOSE!  This  was a hospital protocol, so it was
difficult to work around, but I know that for the women delivering with
CNM's this wasn't always the case.

Isn't that "cute", though, that they came up with a way to remember which
babies had to be on the protocol?  I mean, rather than LOOKING at the child
individually, they had to come up with a way for the nurses to remember
which babies they had to abuse... er, I mean "help".

And how smart is it to give someone (even a newborn) glucose when they're
having a hypoglycemic reaction?  Seems like I remember being told when I was
having trouble with hypoglycemia that simple sugars are NOT what I should
eat, and when I did one time eat a candy bar when my blood sugar was low (in
my stupider college days!) I got really, REALLY sick.

Imagine what this does to a BABY! Seems to me that using good ol' fashioned
colostrum would be the way to go. But then, what do I know?

Take care,

Vickie Miller
mom, doula,
aspiring midwife
Anchorage, AK

http://www.alaskalife.net/burtvickie/

PS - By the way, second call to those of you in Alaska who emailed me. I
lost your addresses with a computer crash. You were so kind to welcome me.
Could you please email me again? I'd love to be involved with the
breastfeeding community in Alaska. Thanks!